Turkey lifts travel restrictions, curfew after more than six months

dpa Istanbul Evening and weekend curfews that were put in place over half a year ago were scrapped across Turkey starting on Thursday, along with restrict...

dpa IstanbulEvening and weekend curfews that were put in place over half a year ago were scrapped across Turkey starting on Thursday, along with restrictions on intercity travel.Caps on the number of patrons in restaurants have been lifted, both indoor and outdoor, while offices are allowed to operate as normal and cinemas and theatres can once again welcome guests.The mask requirement for public spaces continues to apply, and hygiene and distance rules must continue to be observed, the Interior Ministry said.Weddings and concerts may also take place, as long as social distancing requirements can be met. Dances where the minimum distance cannot be kept remain banned.Music may only be played in bars or other facilities until midnight.The Turkish Society for Respiratory Research warned against the easing of measures, given the spread of the more virulent Delta variant around the world.In Turkey, exit restrictions were in effect on weekends starting in November, and then later also imposed on weeknights. Restaurants and cafes, for example, remained closed for weeks and could only offer delivery services. Then, at the end of April, the government imposed a 17-day hard lockdown.The number of new daily infections is falling in Turkey. Currently, between 5,000 and 6,000 new cases are recorded every day in the country of 84 million. Some 40 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine dose.But as concerns over Delta simmer, Turkey has decided to start giving a third vaccine dose, or booster shot, to people over 50 and health care workers.These groups were vaccinated at the beginning of Turkey’s inoculation drive using China’s Sinovac jab. But that vaccine has shown to be less effective against the Delta strain, the head of the Turkish Medical Association, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, said on Thursday.